City Slicker
by DancingwithDestiny
Summary: Axel, fresh off of the life of a bad boy in the big city, comes to stay at his grandparents' farm in the country to try and change his outlook. Little did he know that a chance meeting in a general store could change everything. AkuRoku, One shot


Hiya! :D Long time no see, I know.  
I've been working on a lot of fanfiction stories lately - long and short - and since this one was pretty much finished, and I wanted to post something in honor of AkuRoku Day (8/13), I decided to post this little thing.  
It's a one-shot, and I originally wrote it for a KH fanfiction-writing prompt thing that required the one-shot to be 500 words or less. As you can see, I didn't quite meet that limit. :P  
The prompt was "city slicker" and this was what first came to my mind. It's partially based on my experiences living in a rural area since I was 10 years old. With one large exception. ;)

Hope you enjoy. Happy AkuRoku Day! =D

* * *

Axel stepped out of the car onto the gravel-and-dirt parking lot that crunched under his boots. He took a moment to breathe in the fresh, clean air. Then he turned and walked to the old mom-and-pop general store.

A bell rang as he pushed open the door, and rang again when he let it slam behind him. Standing there, he grimaced slightly at the selection of food they offered. _They'd better have some Cheetos somewhere, _he thought to himself.

Not having much choice either way, he ventured down the aisles in search of his essential – and desired – foodstuffs.

While frowning again at the food selection – _I've never even _heard_ of these brands –_ Axel heard a yelp from the next aisle. He peeked around the end of the aisle, and saw a small blond struggling under the weight of a bag of birdseed.

"Hey, want some help with that?" Axel said before he could stop himself, approaching the boy.

"Yeah, I probably should...might get a hernia if I don't," the boy said, laughing weakly.

Axel lifted the twenty-pound bag off the boy's lean frame and hefted it over his own shoulder. The boy turned and looked up at him, and his eyes widened.

"Uhm, thanks," he said, ruffling his hair, his bright blue eyes flicking downward in an attempt not to stare.

"No problem," Axel said. "Ya like feeding birds, huh?"

"Hah, yeah," the boy said. "So does my mom."

They walked to the register together. "So how'd you end up in a place like this? Are you a country boy?" Axel smirked.

"Nah, my folks moved out of the city about a year ago; it was getting too corrupt with drugs and violence and stuff. They wanted to get me away from all that."

"Yeah? Me too," Axel said.

The boy looked at him. "Really?"

Axel shrugged. "Sort of. I was a city slicker, too." He smirked. Then it faded. "But...I got with the wrong crowd. Drugs, sex, setting things on fire, you name it." The boy's eyes widened again.

"My folks got tired of it; hell, _I _got tired of it. I didn't like myself anymore. So my parents sent me to live with my grandparents, so I could get away from all that shit. And...I'm actually grateful for it. Even though this area's culture leaves something to be desired."

"Haha, yeah," the boy said, a tad nervously.

"Oh, sorry, was I freaking you out there?" Axel smiled.

"Nah...I've just never met anyone like you before," the boy chuckled.

Axel smirked. "Really? Not even in your old school?"

The blond shifted awkwardly. "I'm homeschooled."

"Oh...sheesh, you haven't experienced much then, have you?" Axel smirked in amusement.

"Well...I've experienced stuff that a lot of city people haven't. Like...a sky full of stars. Seeing animals in their natural habitat...climbing trees...playing in a lake...stuff like that."

"Hmm," Axel said, stopping and thinking for a moment.

He looked down at the boy again.

"What's your name, kid?"

"R-Roxas," the boy stuttered.

"I'm Axel," the redhead said, holding out his hand. Roxas shook it tentatively.

"Tell ya what: You can help keep me on the straight-and-narrow, and I'll show you how to have a good time," Axel grinned.

Roxas shifted a little in place. "Oh, I don't know...my parents might not like you...they might not want me around you..."

"Well, if they don't, then it'll be our little secret." Axel winked.

Roxas blushed. "I...I don't know. That's kind of...risky..."

Axel slung his free arm around Roxas' shoulders. "Hey, don't worry, I'll keep ya safe, and nobody's better at keeping things hush-hush than me. I've got the feeling that this is going to be a beautiful friendship." Axel freed him, standing up. "Now c'mon, let's pay for this bird food."

Roxas couldn't help but follow.


End file.
